Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(60)

“If it was completely innocent, why’d he act so weird?” Scott asked.

“For all I know, he didn’t. Anyway, you can quit trying to scare me. It’s not as though Gavin’s up to anything. We’re already back together.”

Scott propped his hands on his hips as he loomed over her. “Does he know that?”

“Of course he does! He said as much,” she insisted. But that wasn’t entirely true. Gavin had said he was willing to try again. He’d also said he wanted to start from the beginning, and he wanted to take it slow. He specifically said they weren’t exclusive. Not yet. Last night when she was over, he hadn’t so much as kissed her. But she knew if she could only get him to quit looking beyond her, they’d be happy together. No one could love him more. He just had to give her the chance to prove it. “Anyway, I’m not going to stand here arguing with you. I’ve got to get my things.”

Scott grabbed her arm as she started toward the laundry room. “Not so fast. I don’t care what Gavin said. He acted like I’d caught him doing something he shouldn’t.”

She jerked out of his grasp. “Stop trying to cause trouble between us!”

“I don’t need to cause trouble. Can’t you see that trouble already exists? He doesn’t want you, Heather,” he said, stabbing a forefinger into her chest. “Not like I do. Why can’t you see that?”

“Stay out of it.” She knocked his hand away. “You don’t know anything about Gavin, and I won’t let you wreck this for me.”

His jaw dropped. “Wreck it for you? You say that as if you set it all up so carefully.”

“That’s crazy!” she said. But it wasn’t entirely crazy, and she feared the lack of conviction in her words made the truth all too apparent. She’d secretly gone off the pill almost three months ago, before Gavin had broken up with her. She’d known he’d marry her if only she could get pregnant. But they’d gotten into that stupid argument about his ex-girlfriend, and he’d broken up with her only a week after she’d stopped taking the pill. She’d had no recourse except to hope she was already carrying his baby—or would soon be carrying someone else’s. She knew the possibility that the baby might be his would be enough to get him to give her one more chance. At least, that was what she’d told herself. Now that the baby was a reality, she was scared she might lose him regardless, especially now that his hot new neighbor had come onto the scene. “How dare you accuse me of something so heinous!” she cried, pouring a bit more effort into her acting.

“You’re telling me you didn’t?” Scott countered.

It felt as though he could suddenly see right through her, as though he’d figured it all out, and that made her uneasy. Always before, he’d been so eager to get with her he’d just kept trying—to replace Gavin in her heart, in her bed and in her future. “Of course I didn’t!”

“You just want what you want, and you don’t care who you tear apart in the process.”

A trickle of guilt made her even more defensive. She’d known from early on that her relationship with Scott wouldn’t last. There’d never been anyone for her except Gavin; there never would be. She’d only gone back to Scott because she’d needed to get pregnant, had to reach for this one final chance...

And now that she had that chance she wasn’t going to let Scott or anyone else get in the way. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I never meant to hurt you.”

He grabbed her arm again. “Why don’t you try saying that like you mean it?”

“I do mean it!” She’d told Gavin that Scott scared her, but that hadn’t been the case until now. She’d merely been looking for an excuse to appear at Gavin’s house, one he’d be particularly sympathetic to. Not that showing up there had improved the situation. She’d imagined their night together going so much better than it had.

“You’re carrying my baby and you know it,” Scott ground out. “Why are you pretending it might be Gavin’s? Why are you making him believe it’s his?”

“Because it could be.” That was true, she told herself defiantly.

Scott’s eyes widened until she could see white all around the brown irises. “Oh, my God! You’re trying to trap him! And he’s stupid enough to let you.”

A red-hot rage shot through her. When she’d spoken to Gavin an hour or so ago, he’d indicated that he had some things to do and wouldn’t be able to see her tonight. He’d said she should go to her parents if she felt threatened by Scott, which had set her insecurities ablaze. That wasn’t like him. Normally, he’d do anything to make sure she was safe, not direct her to someone else. So Scott was prodding a sensitive spot. “Don’t you dare say that! Either one of you could be the father. And Gavin’s not stupid. Unlike you, he cares about kids, even if they don’t belong to him.”

“That’s the thing!” Scott said. “You knew what he’s been through, how it’s made him sensitive to deprived children. That’s what gave you the idea, isn’t it? You didn’t come back to me because you cared about me. You were using me to get Gavin back. And you didn’t even think, or care, that if you did get pregnant with my child, and you managed to convince Gavin that it might be his, I’d be the one out in the cold.”